Doctrine of Dissidence: May Day 2017

1 May 2017“How can you say that you’re not responsible?
What does it have to do with me? What is my reaction?
What should it be—confronted by this latest atrocity?” ~Sting/The Police

“We are bound to rouse and rise those who still endure the sham—all of the orphans of our Uncle Sam…” ~Humanwine

Greetings on this May Day, Dear Reader. Oh, sorry, I guess it’s Loyalty Day now, isn’t it?
Please forgive the long drop in signal, but well…that’s how it is with poet’s and our blogs. Occasionally we lose hope; only to find it again in the scruffle of those around us attempting to survive…and more, to survive in Freedom.
This requires resistance.
May Day has long been a celebration of that very resistance. Some clever ogre in the Goon Squad surrounding Orange#45 must have whispered in the Jester’s ear that proclaiming May 1st as Loyalty Day would be a massive fuck you to the remaining Resistance. And that little toady was right. It pissed off a lot of people, your humble poet not the least.
Why? For those who don’t know, or would like a refresher on the history of May Day as a Worker’s Holiday, this is a good start: The Brief Origins of May Day

Today, humans around the world have taken their streets and demanded change. Some with restraint, others without restraint, or a lick of sense in some cases. What worries many of us who have stood on those front lines for decades is the level of violence being seen in engagements with counter-protesters in the US.
We all have the right to Free Speech.
It’s a different matter entirely when you go to a protest with the intent of squashing that Right, that Freedom, of another because you disagree with their ideology. That is unacceptable. And if such adrenalin-fueled clowns continue, they’ll be forced to square off with the Black Bloc. These protesters are on the front line, the Hassle Line: that fluid space where cop cadre meets the thousands marching.
Generally speaking, there are two “types” in the Black Bloc at a major protest: Older, experienced, Civil-Disobedience oriented activists of all genders and wide ideology. The other are the younger, less-experienced ones that smash windows, FSU, and are badly in need the guidance from the former. And, of course, it’s always the young hot-heads that wind up on CNN or Fox news. You never see the work and dedication of the real Black Bloc; or, for that matter, the work of the Street Medics, or the Green Hats, aka National Lawyers Guild.
These are the people who are there to help protect those thousands amassed behind them (those without helmets, or gas masks, or radios) to engage in their right to protest peacefully. On the Hassle Line, it’s not so peaceful. In addition to nightsticks, CS gas, pepper-spray, Riotcops use an array of ancient, highly-effective shield tactics for crowd control. If you come against them, you’d better come correct. Often, they will open a gap, allowing grab teams to snatch effective activists and drag them behind their lines: there to get a solid beating, zip-tied, and tossed like meat-puppets into whatever transport has been arranged.
This is only a small glimpse into what it can be like in the thick of a protest when things do go sideways.

This poem is based on a true event that occurred many years ago; an experience that I still encounter in nightmares, awaking only to relive it as memory…and the awful truth is that it could happen today, tomorrow, perhaps right now. This poem is for everyone that stands on the Line, that others might be safe.

To be honest, I am not among those that relish the coming clashes between the Black Bloc and Counter-Protesters. Frank Herbert was right, “Divide and rule. Sub-divide and rule even more powerfully. Fragment and rule absolutely.” and that is exactly the bait we gobble by venting our rage on each other. We should be building bridges between the common ground between us rather than doing their bloody work for them.

Now, back to Loyalty day: sorry, Orange#45 and Cronies, I am no bull you can wave a rag at to enrage for your own amusement. You piss me off, but I will not rent space in my head to you clowns for free.

We remember the words inscribed on the Haymarket Memorial~“The Day Will Come When Our Silence Will Be More Powerful Than The Voices You Are Throttling Today”

We will not drink your kool-aid, nor any other noxious brew:
If someone wishes you a Happy Loyalty Day,
just smile and wish them a Happy May Day!
For there is no difference between the two.

Tinfoil—
a doctrine of disobedience

When you heave
me to the ground
Chain my arms
behind my back
to teach me
who is boss

I am one
who remembers
the lesson

What, did you think
we could ever forget?

We, who stand
before your fist—riot
that we might remain Free

There is a creature
crouching inside
festering fuming
hooves to haunch
furious and raw
from the filthy lies

A pitiful, ugly spawn
of my heart—it flowers
into a brutal blossom
as I see you, astride
a human, whipping
that nightstick down

It is as if I am chewing
on a mouthful of tinfoil

What will happen
when we have had
enough is enough

Of petty cop gods?
Gangster pedagogues
puffed up princes
of the billyclub

Fleeing, she caught
a teargas canister on
the back of her head
and it opened—how could you
ever think we would forget?

You were laughing
before the shooting
You stand stricken
now—between us her
choked-off scream still
ricochets

You cannot hide
behind a shield
No black mask no
corrupt law passed
can undo the sight of

Her red hands seeking
the wound—nothing
will hide the evidence
You must know why

We are fighting back? Why
we are taking the streets
despite the cages

That you will lock us in?
I would rather live one day
marching free on a forbidden street
than live a lifetime in a police state

Behind the gas mask
behind the shiny badge
I saw you—thinking
that this time
teargas
might have been a mistake

DC McKenzie~23 April 17

~*~

Update: 2 May 1730hrs: Since posting this I’ve been asked by quite a few if I’m engaging in a little hyperbole for the sake of art. No harm in asking, and I don’t feel offended by the question. Sadly, if anything, I underplayed the severity of street skirmishes on the Hassle Line, where thousands protesting meets Law Enforcement. A friend sent me this video from You Tube, courtesy of Alpha Tribe Productions, and MikeHated’s channel. Included is footage from the very protest this poem was born in. The Massacre in Miami, FTAA Protest 2003. If you’re not familiar with it, please look it up. Everything changed after ‘Chief’ Timoney and his “model” effectively chilled a robust movement of non-violent Civil-Disobedient protesting in the US; they accomplished this through pre-emptive arrests, and the militarization of Law Enforcement, which has become so prevalent today. (Warning: the following video may contain PTSD triggers for some.)

One response

I was on the tax season treadmill thru May 15th, then finishing up some renovations on my house that I started in early spring. I just spent three weeks with friends visiting from Portugal and we traveled all over, showing off my beautiful home state. The landscapes that I have spent my entire life appreciating never get old for me. They still take my breath away.

Anyway, I wanted to thank you for your May Day post and the sentiments expressed. Your poem was poignant and so sad to me that we have to deal with this crap in this day and age. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I am a student of history and it never fails to depress me that whether reading about ancient Egypt, the Middle Ages, European history; any time of man’s dominance; corruption, greed and quest for power never change. No enlightenment, no rise in consciousness; just the same old game played out over and over again.

It is heartening that there are folks like us that are aware and conscious and keep walking our talk. Thank you for who you are and for keeping up the good fight.